Korean Cucumber Salad (Oi Muchim, 오이무침)

This Korean Cucumber Salad or Oi Muchim (오이무침) is an easy yet tasty and refreshing salad that you can enjoy as banchan (Korean side-dish) with rice and your favorite mains.

OI MUCHIM, 오이무침

Oi 오이 is Korean for cucumber while muchim 무침 can mean somewhere in the line of ‘to toss or coat something in sauce/seasoning’. So Oi Muchim, 오이무침 doesn’t directly translate for cucumber salad, but I hope you get the point.

This Cucumber Salad is easy and refreshing but packs a good kick of spice from the gochugaru and gochujang with that aroma from fresh garlic, scallions, and of course the sesame oil and seeds.

HOW TO ENJOY THIS CUCUMBER SALAD

I personally love these as banchan or side dish with some or enjoyed as is. These are also delicious mixed into Bibimbap or a Korean Mixed Rice Bowl.

CUCUMBERS

For this recipe, I used Japanese cucumbers. You’re free to use English or Persian cucumbers, or any pickling cucumbers.

PREPARING THE CUCUMBERS

Slice the cucumbers into 1/4 to 3/4-inch (0.6 to 1.9-cm) thick pieces. It’s totally a personal preference if you want your cucumber pieces on the thicker side. I sliced mine into 1/2-inch thick pieces since I like a good bite.
Place the sliced cucumbers on a strainer with a catch basin. Add in the salt and mix to coat the cucumbers well. Allow the cucumbers to sit for 30 minutes or even longer to release excess liquid.
I left mine for 1 hour in the refrigerator. The longer you leave the salted cucumbers, the more liquid it’ll draw out and will release less liquid when it sits in the dressing later on.
If you’re enjoying this salad immediately, then you can leave it to sit for 30 minutes. But if preparing ahead, I prepare to allow the cucumbers to sit longer to really draw excess water out.

PREPARE THE SAUCE/DRESSING

For this cucumber salad, I mixed together the following:

Feel free to adjust everything to your taste! You can find the full detailed recipe below.

MIX AND ENJOY YOUR CUCUMBER SALAD!

Top with more sesame seeds, if desired. This is also best enjoyed cold!
You can enjoy this as-is, as banchan (side dish) with rice, and even noodles.

Storage tip: I simply place my cucumber salad in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Can last for 2 weeks or even longer! But it probably won’t even last that long 😉